hay Shooters, I have been reloading for 20 plus years and have always used vibrater for cleaning brass. I would like to hear opinions, facts and grandpas old stories about which type of cleaner is best. I know what opinions are like. I just did t know if I was stuck in old school thinking. For some odd reason the drying time on a tumbler just turns me away from them but it might not be as big of a deal as I think. Anyways, here's to opinions
Brass cleaning
- Thread starter Kentucky
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K, I switched to stainless pin tumbling a few years ago. Brass is fully prepped including annealing if needed and into the pool. The interior of the cases and the primer pockets are as bright as the exterior. I've found too many reloaders use too much Lemishine and tumble way too long. Using compressed air to remove all moisture leaves brass like new. Also the FA magnet as well as my RCBS hand cranked separator are your friend. Lemishine, Dawn and water are cheap components and will do thousands of cases. Brass prep is somewhat time consuming regardless the process. Most important is consistency. I do still use the vibratory tumbler occasionally. Good luck
Thanks. I'm very enthusiastic about trying one.
I just bought a stainless pin tumbler since the vibrating media tumbler seems to do little in the way of cleaning and mainly polishes the exterior.
I have a good sized dehydrator, would that work for drying the brass? Going to try a small batch regardless.
I have a good sized dehydrator, would that work for drying the brass? Going to try a small batch regardless.
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
I use three methods depending on the condition of the cases and how well I need to clean them.
The problem with vibratory systems is the presents of abrasives that have to be removed after cleaning and the media stuck in the primer pockets. I rinse in lacquer thinner and blow dry with air.
The pin tumblers do a better job of cleaning the inside of the case and also the primer pocket. but they do have to be rinsed and dried. and the pins are a pain to separate unless you have a tumbler separator.
The Ultra sonic method does a great job inside and out, and very fast, (10 to 15 minutes) but they also need to be rinsed and dried.
So the only real difference is the method of removal of carbon and polishing. All methods need to be rinsed and dried for best results.
J E CUSTOM
The problem with vibratory systems is the presents of abrasives that have to be removed after cleaning and the media stuck in the primer pockets. I rinse in lacquer thinner and blow dry with air.
The pin tumblers do a better job of cleaning the inside of the case and also the primer pocket. but they do have to be rinsed and dried. and the pins are a pain to separate unless you have a tumbler separator.
The Ultra sonic method does a great job inside and out, and very fast, (10 to 15 minutes) but they also need to be rinsed and dried.
So the only real difference is the method of removal of carbon and polishing. All methods need to be rinsed and dried for best results.
J E CUSTOM
ramrod79
Well-Known Member
I also saw another method a few years back and maybe JE will comment.
Vinager and water boil in microwave. I tried on some old brass seemed to do a good job.
JE any input on this method.
Vinager and water boil in microwave. I tried on some old brass seemed to do a good job.
JE any input on this method.
turkn8r1
Well-Known Member
I actually have a recycled brass business on the side. We started with a plastic drum cement mixer and walnut media. Then we purchased an STM tumbler and that was the ticket. There was definately a learning curve with the Dawn and Lemoshine. Then we bought the BIG STM tumbler to do more volume. We ise a couple of STM seperators to rinse and remove most stainless pins. Then we took a Franford Arsenal in trade. It has a timer. Then we changed cleaning solution to Hornady One Shot. We bought several more Frankford's and never looked back. We clean thousands of rounds of brass in our spare time and mainly sell at gun shows. We don't want to big it is part time and has allowed us to aquire a lot of reloading equipment that we wanted. Dillon 650. Dillon 1050 with autobot, 2 annealers, a large array of dies trimmers and the like. We always dry with Walmart food dehydrators and have extra trays for cheap. We did make one modification to the dehydrators and made up some short extension cords with timers to plug them into. All this to say that the best set up we have found is the Frankford Arsenal very durable and has timer with One Shot and food dehydrator with timer. We found the One Shot eliminated water spots and only uses a small amount ( a little goes a long way ). and if you dry too long in the dehydrator the brass will become dark and discolored. The timers are a must so you don't have to watch over it. The brass ends up looking like new. This is just what we do.
kiwikid
Well-Known Member
After reading some of the issues that others were having with tumblers I went down the Ultrasonic route which I have found to be very good. It cleans the inside and primer pockets to a shiny new state but as J E Custom says they need rinsing and drying. I asked Alex Findlay from AMP about drying cases and here is what he suggested,
"We find the best way to dry cases is in a pre-heated oven at around 120c for 10 – 15 minutes. It is absolutely safe, and will do a good job".
120° C is 248°F.
"We find the best way to dry cases is in a pre-heated oven at around 120c for 10 – 15 minutes. It is absolutely safe, and will do a good job".
120° C is 248°F.
stirner
Well-Known Member
I bought into the steel pin method. There are some advantages and disadvantages to this method. I use STP as a sizing lube. After sizing, I just toss the cases into the tumbler and add more Dawn to remove the oil. As previously stated, the cases come out clean inside and out.
On the negative side, the pins do have to be separated, and the cases dried. Most of the pins are separated when the cases are rinsed. After rinsing, I put the cases in a T-shirt that has the sleeves and neck sewn shut. A little tossing dries the cases somewhat, and removes most of the pins that are inside the cases. The cases are then dumped onto another T-shirt that is laid out on a table. I then use the magnetic end of an electic toothbrush to collect the pins from both T-shirts, the sink, and the floors. The "maid" gets real ****y when she finds them all over the house. lol
The most negative aspect of using the pins, is that they ding up the case mouth. This nessitates champfering the cases. I'm still experimenting in reducing the cleaning time to lessen the damage, and yet have clean cases.
On the negative side, the pins do have to be separated, and the cases dried. Most of the pins are separated when the cases are rinsed. After rinsing, I put the cases in a T-shirt that has the sleeves and neck sewn shut. A little tossing dries the cases somewhat, and removes most of the pins that are inside the cases. The cases are then dumped onto another T-shirt that is laid out on a table. I then use the magnetic end of an electic toothbrush to collect the pins from both T-shirts, the sink, and the floors. The "maid" gets real ****y when she finds them all over the house. lol
The most negative aspect of using the pins, is that they ding up the case mouth. This nessitates champfering the cases. I'm still experimenting in reducing the cleaning time to lessen the damage, and yet have clean cases.
Went to stainless pins a few years ago and love the way they clean brass. I dump each brass by hand, rinse and then put in oven on a pizza pan at 200 for 15 minutes.
Takes a little time, but worth it to me.
You want to be careful around the kitchen sink as those little stainless pins can be hard on a garbage disposal!
Takes a little time, but worth it to me.
You want to be careful around the kitchen sink as those little stainless pins can be hard on a garbage disposal!
ShtrRdy
Well-Known Member
I have and use a vibrators tumbler and a stainless steel pin tumbler but what I do these days is use the technique used by bench rest shooters. Clean the outside of the neck with fine steel wool or a crazy cloth and then run a brush through the inside of the neck.
One of the reasons for doing this approach is to avoid that super clean brass to copper stickiness that can take place. The firing residue on the inside of the neck acts like a lubricant.
One of the reasons for doing this approach is to avoid that super clean brass to copper stickiness that can take place. The firing residue on the inside of the neck acts like a lubricant.
I've done this in the past being lazy more than anything but I agree with the residue forming a small metal to metal barrier.
The Oregonian
Well-Known Member
I recently started to use graphite powder to avoid this...I clean the brass with STM, rinse, dry, etc. I FL size and use imperial wax outside first with a bushing at .003 with button removed, then put graphite powder on a q-tip to get the inside of necks and use a neck expander at .002, then load. Like this better than previous routines.
